Vikings Poised to Trade Veteran QB Ahead of 2023 Season

Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Jaren Hall won’t be pressuring Kirk Cousins for his job this season, but he could be a harbinger of change if he gets in a camp battle with another quarterback — Nick Mullens.

Selected in the fifth round of the draft, Hall’s career outlook is most likely as a backup quarterback with starter upside. Mullens, acquired in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders last August, is among the best backup quarterbacks in the league.

However, if Hall shows enough potential this preseason, the Vikings have incentive to move off Mullens and give Hall a spot on the 53-man roster, accelerating his development and offloading some cap space.

Vikings Wire’s Tyler Foreness projected Mullens will be traded if Hall wins the battle at training camp.

“Mullens has a salary that is mostly guaranteed in 2023, which means he will be on the team barring a trade. He will be competing with Jaren Hall this year for that backup job, but he should start the season as QB2. If Hall ends up earning the backup job, look for Mullens to be traded like the Raiders traded him to the Vikings,” Forness wrote.

Trading Mullens would create $1.9 million in cap space and likely come with a Day 3 pick, and although that’s not a massive cap saving, it could be enough to sign a veteran because many will become available after cutdown day, which is August 29 this year.

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Kevin O’Connell Infatuated by QB Jaren Hall at Rookie Minicamps

Hall wasn’t the franchise-altering draft selection some people expected, but he does represent Kevin O’Connell‘s first chance at working with a young quarterback of his choosing.

O’Connell spoke about his experience with Hall after the first day of rookie minicamp in early May and had a hard time staying away from Hall.

“I was picking my spots today, I tend to maybe overdo it sometimes and I’ve got some great coaches and want to let those guys form that initial relationship, that initial bond. But I spend a lot of time with Jaren and I’m a big fan of his, love the way he came out and commanded a group of guys that are learning a bunch of information for the first time,” O’Connell said in a May 12 media conference.

As the new regime is still navigating its potential future with Cousins, O’Connell will undoubtedly be pouring into Hall, who is the only quarterback under contract beyond the 2023 season.

“There were some ups, there were some downs and that’s what we expect and ultimately just trying to give him tangible real things, that when Monday morning comes around and the veterans walk in here and he’s throwing alongside Kirk and Nick, that he’s got some real tangible things he can work on every single rep,” O’Connell said, adding that the quarterback coaches had better get used to him butting in to coach up Hall.

“It’s watching and evaluating and giving them clear-cut coaching points with real tangible ways of fixing those things. And when they do it right, it’s the positive reinforcement that’s exactly how it should look every time. [Hall] was pleasant, and a joy to work with for Chris [O’Hara, quarterbacks coach], Grant [Udinski, assistant QBs coach] and myself. I’m sure those guys thought I butted my head in there a little bit too much, but they better get used to that.”

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Why the Vikings Drafted QB Jaren Hall

Hall offers Vikings fans a first glimpse of the potential skillset that O’Connell is looking for in his quarterbacks.

The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, appearing on ESPN960 in May, spoke about O’Connell’s preference in quarterbacks and how Hall embodies many of those traits.

“Kevin values a couple of things with quarterbacks. He values accuracy, he values a guy who can see the whole field, and he values a guy who has the disposition that I believe he thinks quarterbacks need to have in terms of the leadership ability within the locker room,” Lewis said. “I think there were elements of all of those characteristics that showed up with Jaren’s tape. … Just going through it, you can see some of the athleticism, you can see some of the baseball background, and it seemed like he was accurate in certain instances. I think just some of those qualities in that blend intrigued the Vikings and Kevin O’Connell enough late in the draft.”

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